Dilano van 't Hoff dies aged 18 in crash at Spa-Francorchamps

Dutch racing driver Dilano van 't Hoff has died after a crash at a race in the Formula Regional European Championship.

Dilano van 't Hoff dies aged 18 in crash at Spa-Francorchamps

The 18-year-old MP Motorsport driver was competing in the second race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, organisers announced.

French driver Anthoine Hubert lost his life at the same circuit during a Formula 2 race in 2019.

The race organisers said: "We want to express our sincere condolences to the family, team and friends."

They added: "Royal Automobile Club of Belgium, the Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps and SRO Motorsports Group join Alpine and ACI in expressing their sincerest condolences to the driver's family, team and friends."

Organisers of the headline GT race, the 24 Hours of Spa, said on social media: "All start line entertainments for the 24 Hours of Spa have been cancelled and there will be a minute's silence before the start of the race to honour the memory of Dilano."

The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine is a European Formula Three racing series intended to be a stepping stone to the FIA Formula Three Championship.

Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali said on Twitter: "We are so sad to learn of the passing of Dilano van 't Hoff today at Spa-Francorchamps.

"Dilano died in pursuit of his dream to reach the pinnacle of motorsport. Along with the entire motorsport community, our thoughts are with his family and loved ones."

McLaren also added: "The McLaren Racing Team are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dilano van 't Hoff in a Formula Regional race at Spa-Francorchamps today.

"Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the entire MP Motorsport team at this difficult time."

-bbc